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ARB Newsclips for November 30, 2012. This is a service of the
California Air Resources Board’s Office of Communications. You
may need to sign in or register with individual websites to view
some of the following news articles.
AIR POLLUTION
Air district chief asks Congress for rule flexibility. The
director of the valley's air pollution control district testified
before a congressional subcommittee Thursday about problems with
the Clean Air Act. Seyed Sadredin, director of the San Joaquin
Valley Air Pollution Control District, gave politicians a
detailed look at the difficulties of working with the myriad
rules, bureaucratic policies and court decisions that have
calcified around the act over the past 20 years. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/politics/local/x59956736/Air-district-chief-asks-Congress-for-rule-flexibility
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
CLIMATE CHANGE
Pledges to fight global warming inadequate, U.S. off track:
study. Major nations' policies are inadequate to limit global
warming and the United States is off track even in carrying out
its weak pledge to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a scientific
scorecard showed on Friday. The Climate Action Tracker report,
issued on the sidelines of talks among almost 200 countries in
Doha about climate change, said a toughening of policies was
still possible to avert damaging floods, heat waves and rising
seas. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/us-climate-talks-emitters-idUSBRE8AT0JA20121130
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/carbon-price-idUSL5E8MU1P820121130
UN climate boss: No support for tough climate deal. The United
Nations climate chief is urging people not to look solely to
their governments to make tough decisions to slow global warming,
and instead to consider their own role in solving the problem.
Approaching the half-way point of two-week climate talks in Doha,
Christiana Figueres, the head of the U.N.'s climate change
secretariat, said Friday that she didn't see "much public
interest, support, for governments to take on more ambitious and
more courageous decisions." Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/UN-climate-boss-No-support-for-tough-climate-deal-4080203.php#ixzz2DjCXGuTZ
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22098478/un-climate-boss-no-support-tough-climate-deal?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/11/30/3084091/un-climate-boss-no-support-for.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22098478/un-climate-boss-no-support-tough-climate-deal?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/un-climate-boss-no-support-for-tough-climate-deal/image_254a06d0-944a-5f5e-9ba6-7ec19efcf6d5.html
http://modbee.com/2012/11/30/2475957/un-climate-boss-no-support-for.html#storylink=misearch
Ice sheets melting at poles faster than before. Fueled by global
warming, polar ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are now
melting three times faster than they did in the 1990s, a new
scientific study says. So far, that's only added about half an
inch to rising sea levels, not as bad as some earlier worst case
scenarios. But the melting's quicker pace, especially in
Greenland, has ice scientists worried. One of the biggest wild
cards in climate change has been figuring out how much the
melting of the massive sheets of ice at the two poles would add
to the seas. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Ice-sheets-melting-at-poles-faster-than-before-4077544.php#ixzz2DjDrNt2q
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/11/29/new-study-provides-clearest-evidence-yet-of-polar-ice-melt
13 things to know about California's cap-and-trade program. State
regulators are celebrating California's first-ever auction of
greenhouse gas emissions allowances held Nov. 14. So what exactly
happened? Why does it matter? And what happens next? We've gotten
many questions about the cap-and-trade program from our readers
at the San Jose Mercury News; here's answers to several of them.
Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22092533/13-things-know-about-california-cap-trade-program?source=rss
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_22092533/13-things-know-about-california-cap-trade-program?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_22092533/13-things-know-about-california-cap-trade-program?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
Senators say Sandy poses severe challenge to climate skeptics.
Senate Democrats believe the wreckage from Superstorm Sandy could
hasten a "turning point" in the public's blurred perception of
climate change and spur a bipartisan effort to build dunes and
sea walls to protect Americans. Lawmakers from stricken coastal
states pleaded for an ambitious response yesterday to help
victims of last month's storm build new homes, repair businesses
or, at least, get the heat turned on. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/11/30/1 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
FUELS
AAA calls for suspension of E15 gasoline sales. Leading road
travel group AAA on Friday called on the U.S. government to
suspend the sale of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol fuel,
the latest opposition against increasing the use of biofuels in
transport. A lack of public awareness about the risks of using 15
percent ethanol, known as E15, in older cars could cause problems
for motorists, according to an AAA study published Friday. The
current standard is 10 percent, or E10. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/us-usa-gasoline-idUSBRE8AT0JF20121130
VEHICLES
Auto industry frets about more fuel mileage fiascos like
Hyundai's. Hyundai Motor Co's (005380.KS: Quote, Profile,
Research, Stock Buzz) admission that it overstated fuel economy
claims on several of its top-selling cars has the industry
worried, with speculation rife among executives and analysts at
the Los Angeles auto show that more automakers may have to do the
same. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/us-autoshow-hyundai-mileage-idUSBRE8AT08420121130
L.A. Auto Show: 2013 Ford Fusion named Green Car of the Year. The
2013 line of Ford Fusion vehicles was named this year's Green Car
of the Year on Thursday morning at the L.A. Auto Show. The sedan
was chosen by Green Car Journal for its low petroleum use, low
carbon dioxide emissions and its pricing, which the publication
said can lead to the kind of sales "that can truly influence
environmental improvement." The Fusion starts at $21,700. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/laautoshow/la-fi-hy-autos-laas-ford-fusion-green-car-20121129,0,761709.story
LA Auto Show: Electric cars grabbing attention. The Los Angeles
Auto Show 2012 has opened its doors to the public today, 30
November, and will stay open until 9 December. In the heart of
California’s progressive policy environment towards more
fuel-efficient vehicles with a clear Zero Emissions Vehicle
mandate, the Los Angeles Auto Show attracts many electric cars.
Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5053
It’s Time for Single-Passenger Electric Vehicles. Bringing
practical, affordable electric cars to market is not just an
issue of technology. It’s also is an issue of how one sees the
world. From my perspective, what we need is a lot more
single-seat cars. Pop Quiz: Out of every 10 cars you see on the
road, how many are carrying only one person? Answer: About 9 out
of 10. With this in mind, imagine our rush hour highways filled
with colorful, fun-to-drive, 200-MPGe…Posted.
http://www.plugincars.com/it%E2%80%99s-time-single-passenger-electric-vehicles-125503.html
Singapore introducing stiff new feebate scheme for low carbon
cars. Singapore will implement a new Carbon Emissions-Based
Vehicle Scheme (CEV) on 1 January 2012, providing rebates to
qualified new cars, taxis, and imported used cars with low carbon
emissions, and imposing an equivalent surcharge on higher
emitting vehicles. This new scheme will replace the existing
Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) scheme that will expire on 31 December
2012. Posted.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/11/spore-20121129.html
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
Bullet train chief, critic have dueling views at San Jose forum.
Before taking the helm of California's High-Speed Rail Authority,
Dan Richard told Gov. Jerry Brown that the plan was "really
screwed up and going to end up biting you in the ankles." Richard
didn't like the idea of sending it up the Peninsula to San
Francisco as opposed to traversing Altamont Pass. He also was in
league with those who thought laying the rail along a stretch of
the Central Valley was a bad beginning to the ambitious $69
billion project. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_22095957/bullet-train-chief-opponent-have-dueling-views-at?source=rss
GREEN ENERGY
Allow south state power plant work, Gov. Brown and others tell
JPMorgan. Gov. Jerry Brown and a chorus of state officials are
asking the U.S. government to force investment bank JPMorgan
Chase & Co. to step aside and allow a badly needed power-plant
renovation in Southern California. JPMorgan's trading subsidiary
was accused two weeks ago by the California Independent System
Operator, which runs the state's transmission grid, of
stonewalling the overhaul of a pair of plants in Huntington
Beach. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/30/5020283/allow-south-state-power-plant.html#storylink=cpy
OPINIONS
Let’s Stick Together. WHEN I was asked a few years ago what the
financial crisis taught me, I replied, “It’s the global economy,
stupid.” Well, what I actually said was it taught me that “global
problems need global solutions.” I would now go further: My 13
years in government have taught me that the pre-eminent
international issue is whether we can develop a level of global
cooperation that matches the global dimension of our problems.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/opinion/global/gordon-brown-global-economic-problems-need-global-solutions.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Eugene Robinson: Climate change is a legacy we dare not leave.
You might not have noticed that another round of U.N. climate
talks is under way, this time in Doha, Qatar. You also might not
have noticed that we're barreling toward a "world … of
unprecedented heat waves, severe drought, and major floods in
many regions." Here in Washington, we're too busy to pay
attention to such trifles. We're too busy arguing about who gets
credit or blame for teeny-weeny changes in the tax code. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/30/5020065/climate-change-is-a-legacy-we.html#storylink=cpy
State out in front on environment. The news article
"Cap-and-trade carbon auction a sellout" (Nov. 20, Page A-6) is a
good piece on the topic of cap-and-trade for carbon emissions,
but it misses a couple of important points when it comes to
carbon dioxide. For one thing, cap- and-trade is one more in a
long line of environmental approaches where California is way out
in front of the rest of the United States. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/11/29/2475224/state-out-in-front-on-environment.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
JEFF TAYLOR: Amtrak upgrade or high-speed rail? Seems pretty
clear here. Caltrans has circulated a study that evaluates
substantial proposed upgrades to Amtrak's San Joaquin corridor.
Agencies and the public have 30 days to comment on the document.
The deadline is Dec. 13. Caltrans' proposed project includes
upgrading and/or installing a second or third track from Oakland
to Stockton and from Sacramento to Stockton through Modesto,
Merced, Madera, Fresno, Hanford, Corcoran and Wasco into
Bakersfield. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-Topics/x1801510172/JEFF-TAYLOR-Amtrak-upgrade-or-high-speed-rail-Seems-pretty-clear-here
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY.
SANDAG plan good enough for air board. At a local Superior Court
hearing Friday afternoon, billions of dollars in planned regional
transportation projects could be tied up for years in service of
an agenda that undermines local authority, divides state agencies
and seeks endless litigation. This unconstructive result could
set a precedent for similar power plays around California.
Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/sandag-plan-good-enough-for-air-board/article_55fe18c7-c8c7-58f1-9310-4869387d5d77.html
BLOGS
Ford Fusion Wins ‘Green Car of the Year’ Prize. Ford Motor Co.
scored the “Green Car of the Year” award for its new Ford Fusion
sedan, by Green Car Journal magazine, in a break from past
winners that went to pure fuel economy. The Fusion, which went
on sale in October, won because it is offered with a variety of
power trains, including a hybrid option that is rated to get 47
mpg, a future plug-in hybrid version that is expected to attain
better than 100 miles-per-gallon equivalency. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/11/30/ford-fusion-wins-green-car-of-the-year-prize/
Climate change science gets more compelling as politicians
fiddle. The politics and the science of global warming remain far
apart. International climate negotiators in Doha, Qatar this week
began talking about a climate treaty to be agreed by 2015 and
implemented by 2020, when all that was supposed to be finished in
Copenhagen three years ago. Inspiring. Meanwhile, the evidence
supporting the broad international scientific consensus on
climate change is only becoming more compelling, with three big,
peer-reviewed studies out this week alone. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/climate-change-science-gets-more-compelling-as-politicians-fiddle/2012/11/30/f9eedd92-3b0a-11e2-9258-ac7c78d5c680_blog.html
Meanwhile, the climate keeps on changing for the worse. Those
who like to pretend the climate isn't changing expect the rest of
us to join them in their delusion. Meanwhile, since the
temperature of the Earth is rising and the world's glaciers are
melting, we have this thing called sea level rise. But we have a
problem. The sea level rise projections from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are wrong. They are two
low. Posted.
http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2012/11/meanwhile-the-c.html
Move a little closer, please: ‘Carbon Zero,’ chapter 3. How we
build our cities determines how we live in them. If we are going
to imagine a carbon zero city, in most cases we need to start
with a fresh understanding of how we get around in them.
Transportation, after all, generates the largest share of
humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions. Cars account for most of
that, but it’s not just driving cars that’s causing those
emissions. Posted.
http://grist.org/cities/move-a-little-closer-please-carbon-zero-chapter-3/